Kelly Macdonald and how Princess Merida walked to Gosford Park, solved a Puzzle went back to Dept. Q then looked in a Black Mirror and became a Radley

 

For many years now I've been a fan of Kelly Macdonald. She's been pretty amazing in everything I've seen her in. I recently watched Dept Q and it started me on the path to watch several of her productions. This is a brief review of several of these.

Dept. Q: This is a Scottish police procedural with some crossing of lines and some serious implications. It's tough not to root for the damaged main character as, even though he's an ass and he breaks the law as an entitled copper, he's also pretty good at solving crimes and getting to the root of things. This is a found family group of misfits that come together to be truly greater than their parts. Kelly plays a headshrinker in this one, and although she's not in it very much, she does make a lasting impression. Although everyone does a great job, Leah Byrne as DC Rose Dickson is the true standout for me. She's kinda like Tilly in Star Trek Discovery, and it's not just because of the hair.

7/10 because I'm tired of police not following the rules and getting away with it

Brave: How can you mention Ms. Macdonald and not acknowledge her amazing voicework as Merida. She's just the best in this role and her emotion and strength really come through with just her voice. A everlasting tale about family, expectations, and familial love.

9/10 Almost freaking perfect!

Puzzle: There's a whole movie about jigsaw puzzles and the competitive world they inspire?!?!? Yup. And it's a tough one for me to decide how I feel about it. There's a borderline sweet love story here, but it also deals with infidelity and I'm not forgiving about that. The actors do a great job, but it's tough to root for people that are cheaters.

3/10 Not a bad movie, but not for me.

Black Mirror - Hated in the Nation: A longer episode of the provocative series, Kelly is the focus here. As a detective that investigates how new technology is leading to/causing deaths. We really need to take care of the bees! I wish we saw more of these types of episodes from the series, but I'll take what we got and enjoy.

8/10 sadly predictive of where it feels like things are headed in many ways.

The Radleys: This is based on a book, of the same name, and is about Vampires who don't drink blood, dealing with their teenagers who do not have the same level of self control. It's an interesting take on vampires and the family dynamic. Has another cheating scene in it which made it less enjoyable for me. If people (vampires) just talked there would probably be less cheating and more happy marriages. Well acted and tense but with some parts that keep me from completely enjoying it.

4/10 darn it. I just can't enjoy a movie where cheating plays a big role.

Gosford Park: I originally saw this Robert Altman directed beauty all by my lonesome in theatres. Man was I glad I did. It's a combination of Upstairs Downstairs and the traditional English whodunit, with the bumbling copper and the intelligent downstairs help that truly knows what's going on. Altman had a magic touch with figuring out how to make overlapping conversations sound natural and still allow us the audience to focus on particular parts of them to pull out the messages. This movie deserves multiple viewings, like all of Altman's work, and I'm glad I watched it again.

8/10 maybe a little dry for some, but as a lover of many British tv shows and movies it's great!